MISSING: 28-Year-Old Midland Woman Last Seen September 20

MIDLAND, TX (KWES) - Relatives of a missing Midland woman are turning to the community for help as the investigation into her disappearance drags on.

Rikki McGilvray, 28, worked as a Midland Independent School District special education teacher before she went missing on September 20, her family said.

"Something is going on," her mother, Gerri McGilvray, told NewsWest 9. "Something is very wrong and somebody knows where she is."

The Midland County Sheriff's Office is leading the ongoing investigation, she said.

Deputies assigned to the case did not return calls from NewsWest 9 for comment.

"They're doing a good job on their end, but it's now been 16 days [since my daughter was last seen]," McGilvray said. "When the detectives now are talking about 'recovery,' it scares me. I don't want it to be a recovery. I want it to be my daughter [they bring back], whole and well."

Her family declined to discuss where the Midland teacher was last seen and details of what she may have been doing prior to her disappearance.

"It's just to protect her," her mother explained. "The Sheriff's Office knows everything. Right now, what we want to get out to the public is her face [and description]."

"That smile of hers is just full of life," her grandmother, Sue Granzin, said. "She's very social, loves her family [and] loves life. We know she did not run away [or] disappear intentionally... Something is not right."

McGilvray told NewsWest 9 her daughter "could be anywhere" and urged the community to share photos of her beyond Midland.

"Social media has been a huge help," she said. "She has friends in Arlington, friends in every part of Texas... We are reaching out to everybody because we have no idea where she is."

NewsWest 9 could not confirm if additional law enforcement agencies are assisting the Midland County Sheriff's Office with the ongoing search.

"Wherever she may be, we just want her to know how many people are praying for her safe return," said McGilvray's grandmother. "We all love and miss her so much."